Kale Mallung (Sri Lankan Kale with Coconut)

On vacation this summer, my family and I had the pleasure of eating at Source, a vegetarian restaurant that opened in San Francisco earlier this year. The entire meal was delicious: E had the lasagna, of course, and I had a chickpea-stuffed rice pastry called Borek. But the the stand-out was the special of the day that D ordered, a tasting plate of 6 or 7 different Sri Lankan curries and vegetables. Each sample was just a few bites, and since it was D’s dinner, I didn’t get to taste enough to remember many of the details, except for one simple dish–kale cooked with fresh coconut. Simple but sublime.

I came home determined to recreate the dish. It took me a few weeks, but on Sunday I finally remembered to start defrosting the package of shredded coconut I bought at the Asian market. I did a little research and found that a mixture of greens and coconut cooked in a dry skillet is a traditional Sri Lankan dish called “mallung” or “mallum.” In Sri Lanka, it’s often made with the leaves of plants not found in our American grocery stores, but the internet abounds with recipes using collards and, especially, cabbage (see the links at the end of the recipe).

A great thing about mallung is that the greens are cooked without any oil, so the only fat comes from the coconut. I strongly recommend using fresh or frozen rather than dried coconut (and definitely not sweetened coconut) because the flavor and texture of fresh coconut is so much better. But if dried is all you have, I suggest using about half as much and rehydrating it in a little hot water beforehand; pour off the water and save it to use as needed when cooking the kale.

I hope you’ll like this dish as much as D and I did. Each bite of kale is infused with the taste and aroma of coconut, cumin provides a sultry background note, and fresh lime juice brightens the flavors. We ate it warm from the stove, but it also makes a great cold salad, and it keeps well so that you can enjoy the leftovers for lunch the next day. With 4 grams of fat per serving, mallung is not something I will be eating every day, but served with one of my almost fat-free curries or soups and a whole grain, the percentage of calories from fat for the entire meal falls to below 15%.

Kale Mallung (Sri Lankan Kale and Coconut)

Mallung is a dry dish, so resist the temptation to add much water. I made mine mild so that I could taste the kale and coconut, but feel free to use more peppers and even keep some of the seeds in for added heat.

Course Side Dish, Vegetable

Cuisine Vegan

Prep Time10minutes

Cook Time10minutes

Total Time20minutes

Servings4

Calories94kcal

AuthorSusan Voisin

Ingredients

1medium red onionchopped

1 to 2hot chile peppersseeded and chopped

12ounceskalestems removed and leaves thinly sliced

1/4teaspoonground cumin

generous grating of black pepper

1/2cupshredded coconutfresh or frozen, unsweetened

1 to 2tablespoonslime juice

salt to taste

Instructions

Heat a large, deep, non-stick skillet. Add the onions and peppers, and cook, stirring often, until onions soften and turn pink. Add water by the tablespoon if needed to prevent sticking.

Add the kale and a splash (about 1/4 cup) of water, along with the cumin and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring every minute or so, until kale is wilted but still bright green, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the coconut and 1 tablespoon lime juice and leave on the heat just long enough to heat through. Check the seasoning and add more lime juice if needed and salt to taste. Serve hot or cold.

Recipe Notes

If dried coconut is all you have, I suggest using about half as much and rehydrating it in a little hot water beforehand; pour off the water and save it to use as needed when cooking the kale.

It’s like you read my mind! I need to use up a big box of washed and chopped kale before it goes bad, and I have been totally crazy excited about experimenting with fat free vegan Indian dishes right now. If I have time, I’m going to make this tonight! Thanks Susan.

This sounds delicious, I adore Sri Lankan food. I would really like to make this but want to ask whether the coconut is predominant in this dish? I only enjoy coconut when the flavor is subtle. Thanks Susan.

Hi, I am always looking for new and interesting recipes that don’t have any sugar or grains in them. I’m assuming the 1.3g of sugar eor serving in the Kale Mallung is from the coconut. Any ideas you can send my way from your recipes to other websites that would fill my dietery choices would be wonderful. Thx

I absolutely loved this dish! I’m always looking for different and tasty new ways to eat my greens, and this one was fabulous. I made a few changes (and posted them on my blog–along with a link here for the original version) because, as always, I didn’t have the right ingredients on hand, but it was still delicious. Thanks so much and I’m so excited to read more of the archived recipes.

WOW! I just made this. AMAZING. Absolutely delicious. I meant to make it for a group of three, but I may have a hard time saving some for the others 😉 I actually substituted chopped collard greens for kale since I didn’t have kale on-hand. I will definitely be making this again with kale and collard greens. Thank you so much for sharing! I would have NEVER thought to combine all those flavors.

A very really nicely put together recipe! I’ll be trying it this evening. I did wish to mention that including cumin must be regional. I usually add turmeric and Maldive fish. Of course, the latter makes it a non-vegan recipe! Thank Susan for visiting our site and posting a link to my Collard Mallung recipe. Cheers! Dinesh, The Spicy Gourmet

Yes kale mallung is one of the tastiest dishes in Sri Lanka. To make it more tastier its good if you could cut the leaves very thinly. And adding a bit of mustard seed before you put the kale into the hot pan takes the taste into a whole new level. We sometimes put kochchi (type of jalapeño/chillie) to add more heat into the dish. Love to hear u loved Sri Lankan cuisine.

Married to a Sri Lankan, so I have learned to cook the dishes he loves. Mallung always has one important vegan ingredient you have left out: turmeric! For the amounts in your recipe, I’d recommend adding 1/4tsp. (Though if you like turmeric, you can go as high as 1/2tsp)